Tranquility
by Voice of the Shadow Realm
Summary: After the Winter war, the Seireitei and its inhabitants begin rebuilding damage caused to both structures and souls. Just as walls are strengthened with brick and mortar, new understandings and challenges build and strengthen relationships. Ren/Ruki for all the right reasons.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

This is a little different from what I usually write. I have never even considered scuffling my way down this path before, so I hesitantly offer up this first instalment for a one-off story that can be taken as part of my Serenity series, but as a future segment. Or you can simply see it as a stand-alone venture, it fits either way. Also, it has other chapters drafted, but it'll depend upon the reception of this part, and the reactions to it as to determine if I'll post the completion of this particular story. Again, I am way, WAY out of my comfort zone here. I do not write much in the way of major AU, and at all in this sort of AU. This is set after the Winter War arc, but I am disregarding the Full Bring and Quincy War arcs.

I'm hoping it's not hated.

(Fractured Serenity chapter 4 is in the works, I'm just having a few difficulties playing around with the wordplay and layout. It'll appear as soon as I can fix it.)

**Glossary:**

_Italics~ _conversation with ones Zanpakutou.

-….- around sections of certain text, meaning these are long memories that are part of the story line. Like a story within the story. Smaller, related memories will not be adorned with this treatment.

**Disclaimer(1): **I do not own, nor to I make any claims to, Bleach and/or its characters and storyline. I am simply a late-to-the-party fan who enjoys fanfiction, both reading it and writing it. The only profit I make from this is the knowledge that I may, perhaps, encourage others to venture more into the Bleach Universe by helping to keep the fandom alive alongside the thousands of other fans.

**Disclaimer(2): **This disclaimer is simply for those who read the following to know, I will not tolerate trolling or flames in either review of PM. I understand that there are many people who hate Ren/Ruki, but what I don't understand is if you don't like that why read it? I always name my pairings in both my summery as well as on the filter option. If you don't want to read this Ren/Ruki fic (and it **is** most definitely that pairing) then I suggest you click the back button. Thank you.

**Tranquility.**

The Seireitei had finally reinstated itself to a former level of security. Not quite the fortress it had once been, its flawed armor and capability to produce traitorous residents were now common knowledge amongst the populace of the Rukon and further widened the animosity and general mistrust between Shinigami and resident soul. Hollow attacks, especially amidst the outer districts were still commonplace, though the monsters that breached the dimensions were treated as little more than a minor annoyance, a lamb amongst wolves. Unseated officers, even probationary rookies, were dispatched to eliminate such nuisances in pairs as it was no longer deemed necessary to dispatch ranked soldiers for simple disposal duties, not now that Aizen was secured in his incarceration.

The dangerous man was buried in the darkness of the lower depths of the prison chambers buried beneath the Maggot's Nest. Here he was to remain for countless thousands of years, though the more likely scenario was that his sentence would be carefully forgotten about after a dozen or so centuries, leading for his punishment to indirectly last for all eternity.

And with that, a time of near tranquility would descend upon the soul society.

Tranquility. It is a word seldom used, despite that its meaning, the sense of completeness, is so desperately sought. It is that delicate blossom upon the precipice of balance and peace within the world and one's own self. It is placidity, serenity and stability all wonderfully intertwined with one another, and one not without its own dangers. It is the ultimate nirvana sought by man and soul alike, one that has drawn many an entity into its carnal embrace over the countless years, and yet, driven a great many more into the realms of madness.

For one such individual, it seemed as though it would be her fate to fall into the latter category.

Or so Rukia Kuchiki's exhausted mind dramatized. She sighed and raised herself from her futon, shivering lightly as the thin sheets slipped away with the movement. Another long and sleepless night loomed ahead of her, despite her exhaustion; this one now totaled three in the last week alone. Tugging a light kimono over her sleeping robes and pushing her bare feet into her house shoes while she knotted the sash over her middle, the petite raven tiptoed past the still sleeping figure sprawled across the shared futon. Soft snores rose as the long strands, which were usually so neatly braided at night, cascaded over the pillows that had been hastily bundled under a head. Shadows cast from the windows playing over the large figure, their darkness muting the bright crimson to a mahogany brown in a rippling dapple pattern.

Rukia paused, her hand braced upon the outer door of her private wing of the Kuchiki manor, and turned her gaze back to the sleeping man, her lips twitching fondly as she quietly slipped from the room and into the warm night. Her small feet padded silently along the sleek oaken porch that edged the grand estate and Rukia allowed her thoughts to wander as her fingers slipped around her elbows and her legs carried her along an instinctual path. She still felt the soft flutters in her chest whenever she caught sight of his face, relaxed in sleep where he was free to relinquish his responsibilities and romp in whatever paradise his resting mind conjured. Rukia's path lead her away from the main house now and coaxed her out into her brother's gardens where the generations old plum trees still bloomed and his immaculate koi ponds lay.

She seldom managed to slip from his side without his notice when she found it difficult to sleep, usually she would find herself peering into tired blinking eyes and a gentle hand would tug her closer, held until she was lulled into slumber by his strong rhythmic heartbeat. But not tonight, tonight her husband had dozed off within moments of her settling beside him, it was then, in that knowledge that she decided Renji must have been particularly exhausted this evening. Her heart beat a little faster at that thought. Renji, the rough little boy she had known since forever, her best friend and partner in crime in Inuzuri and her protector and colleague as a Shinigami of the Gotei thirteen was now her husband. She still felt it to be a wonderfully fabricated dream, the way that her heart skipped with his every smile and swelled with every stolen tender moment at his side.

-It was during the aftermath of the Winter War, as the Seireitei and its remaining Shinigami celebrated their victory and mourned the loss of friends and colleagues alike; that a stricken Renji had managed to coax the young Kuchiki from her protective brother's side and offered to share in her own grieving. As the pair slipped out into the Rukon together, uncertainty had flared in her heart. Renji held his body unnaturally rigid, his jaw clenched and working as he led her back to their former home in Inuzuri and guided her to the hill that had marked the end of their lives in that miserable town. He was hurting; Rukia could see it in his movements, in every paranoid glare that the man swung at the beggars and drunkards that lay prone in the dirt at his feet or came too close to bumping against him as he moved. She could feel it rolling off him in waves, it stained his reiatsu, and she could read it in his guarded eyes as clearly now as she had when they had lost their childhood friends.

Their lost friends, her chest clenched hard at that thought. _Ichigo._ Why was it seemed as though were forever loosing friends and family? Why was it that yet again they were the last two remaining? When they finally stopped and her half shuttered eyes moved tenderly over the small grave markers from so many years ago, Rukia understood. It was here that Renji had stopped, turning to face her as he presented her with a length of braided red leather from within the folds of his shihakusho, the strange strap that had crossed the former substitute Shinigami –and true hero of the Seireitei- about his chest, holding the fearsome Zangetsu to his young shoulders.

Rukia's eyes, glimmering with the wetness of unshed tears, met his own grief darkened orbs as he nodded wordlessly not quite trusting himself to speak just yet. Ichigo was, though not dead, gone from their lives and he had felt it necessary to honor him as one of their own, something which he knew Rukia would also feel. Ichigo had been a friend to them both, a student and a rival, he had become a valued comrade, their sword brother, and the loss of him from their world pained the pair as much as it would have if the young man had indeed perished under the blade.

Though his absence from the soul society was noted by fellow Shinigami, his lost spiritual pressure had left a yawning chasm in their souls. Rukia's unique bond with the fledgling Shinigami, born of her own powers, had been severed. Try as hard as she could, the reiatsu was gone, and she could no longer remember how his scent had tasted no matter how determined she was to recall it. Renji had lost a kindred spirit. Their relationship, though explosive and sometimes aggressive, was the closest to a sibling bond Renji would ever know. He had felt the living boy to be more as his kid brother than friend. They had bickered and laughed together, fought and bled together. Renji had taken his share of blows for the boy just as Ichigo had for him. He was as much a part of their little makeshift family as any of the boys they had run with as children, and it made sense that Renji wanted to add a marker for Ichigo to stand with the others.

So, together, they had silently scraped up an earthy mound, neatly arranged a ring of small stones around the pile and wooden peg that they had driven into the center before wrapping the worn leather braid around the stake. It twisted and wriggled in the wind, the last tangible proof that the youth had ever been a part of their lives, a last flicker of memory for them to hold on to.

Afterward, as they admired their handiwork, Rukia had subconsciously edged closer to Renji. She leaned, huddled into his towering frame and drew one of his large, now dirtied, hands around her shoulders as she pressed her tear streaked face into his warm side, feeling his silent sobs shudder through him. After a mere moment of contact the warmth was suddenly gone and Rukia blinked in hazy shock before she stiffened and felt his weight press against her instead. Glancing down, she found his fiery red mane dominating her view of him as his face burrowed into her. Renji had fallen to his knees and wrapped his long, corded arms around her thighs, holding and clinging to her desperately.

She brushed her fingers across the tips of his hair, running her nails gently over the shell of his ear and along the thick line of his neck, surprised to find him trembling as he screwed up every last ounce of courage he had and finally explained, through shaking words, how he felt for her. Rukia's heart stilled. He had feared losing her in the war, had felt her reiatsu falter and diminish in Hueco Mundo and it had seemed to him almost as though his very soul had been torn in two. He was finally voicing that he didn't want her to leave him. He wanted her by his side. He wanted her for his wife. He had, at last, after almost 60 long years, reached out for her and Rukia suddenly found herself reaching back for him.-

They had wed that spring.

Rukia paused atop of the little oriental bridge that arched across the thinnest part of the intricately linked koi ponds and leaned her arms over the railing, sighing softly as she recalled the simple ceremony that had taken place right here in these gardens, her eyes shuttering in contentment. The way the plum blossom petals fell around them as their hands were bound together in their union, dancing in the light spring breezes. How complete she felt knowing that, despite the agreement that her name would remain as Kuchiki, she was Renji's wife. Her lips twitched at the memories of the small collection for colleagues that she now called friends as they smiled their approval. The hooting calls of Renji's old drinking buddies from his bachelor days as Hisagi punched him in the arm and Ikakku mussed the neatly groomed tresses that fell around his former students' shoulders and growled how it was 'bout damned time,' before shoving the youth's head away. She loved it all, but the small, proud smile that graced her brother's lips as he had congratulated the pair had meant the most to her.

Even before lashes parted, drawing her away from pleasant memories, her eyes lowered to the glassy water alerted to the tiny splashes, the ripples of excited fish that moved in a small gathering beneath her feet. Smiling fondly at the slippery creatures that rolled over one another in their delight, Rukia reached a hand inside her kimono sleeve and drew from within the folds a small, folded handkerchief.

"Yes, yes." She chuckled as she carefully untwisted the fabric and revealed a generous pile of pellets that one of her brother's staff slipped to her that evening before she had excused herself for the night. "I have food for you." She cooed lovingly to the elegant fish as another flash of red mottled on black breached the surface in an excited lurch. Since it had become known that the young Lady Kuchiki was finding rest elusive and that she often spent her sleepless hours with the koi, it had become common practice to prepare a small amount of the creatures feed for her should she find herself unable to sleep.

With elegance that seemed natural to her, a small portion of the pellets rained upon the pond's surface, bobbed once as they rode out a single ripple, before vanishing into a hungry koi's gaping mouth. Rukia couldn't help but laugh as the usually graceful and serene animals tumbled about each other, like children, in obvious delight. Again she scattered a small handful of pellets and again the fish snapped up the morsels before they'd even settled upon the water. "You're so greedy." Rukia scolded them gently as the final portion was tossed out. "It's enough to make you wonder if Byakuya feeds you enough during the day." She murmured the final part as she folded herself over the railing once more. Her lashes lowering over her midnight dark eyes as watched the creatures slowly disburse, almost as though they already knew the food was gone and had lost interest in their visitor now that her gifts settled in multiple bellies.

"They are indeed fed well enough. Your offerings are more of a treat to the greedy fellows."

Rukia's eyes widened sharply as her chin whipped over her shoulder and she noticed for the first time, her brother striding confidently over to her. "That, and not disregarding the fact they seem to appreciate your company."

"Byakuya," she began before she pulled herself upright to politely bow despite the sudden twinge of protest from her belly. "Nii-sama, I apologize. I did not sense-"

The noble and master of the manor simply raised his hand to quieten her. "It is perfectly alright, Rukia. I felt you leave your quarters and thought that you may appreciate some company, so I decided to join you." He turned until he too faced the expanse of his ponds, his posture perfect as he held himself regally at her side. "You do not have to hold yourself in such an uncomfortable stance. Please, return to what feels comfortable to you."

Rukia nodded stiffly before returning to slouch on her elbows over the railings. "Thank you."

The two Kuchiki's gazed out across the waters and into the perfectly manicured gardens beyond in comfortable and companionable silence until Rukia felt her eyelids lower once more in ease.

"You are still finding it difficult to sleep?"

Rukia nodded, her chest swelling at the note of concern that was expertly shrouded by his noble indifference. It had taken almost fifty years and near execution for her adoptive brother to show her even a shred of interest, and another decade for her to be able to detect the glimmers of emotion that now laced his every conversation with her. "Yes. Though the unease I feel seems to be nothing more than simple anxiety."

Again, Byakuya paused before speaking, carefully considering his next words as expected of his heritage. "It is to be expected." He fell silent for a moment, face raised to the diamonds that glittered above them. His own raven hair, unrestrained by the lack of his kenseikan, tumble and twisted in the light, night winds. "You are taking the herbal tea as was recommended?"

Rukia smiled gently and nodded, amused by her older brother's subtle fussing's, which were of a more tolerable level than Renji's intrusive worrying. The Kuchiki siblings once strained relationship was definitely that of a distant memory.

"Perhaps some warmed milk and camomile would soothe you to sleep more easily than the tea. I shall instruct the staff of this in the morning." He lowered his chin once more and slid his gaze to the corners of his eyes, discretely observing his younger sibling as she leaned further over the low railing and watched a pair of koi dance through the waters beneath her, eyes shining in unrestrained delight as they took in the tight turns and sharp darting between the elegant dancers. "Where is Renji? Does he not accompany you when you are restless?"

"Sometimes," Rukia spoke gently, almost as though unsure if her voice would break the magic spell the fish held over her. The peace and serenity slowly descending in her mind and settling the buzzing thoughts that barred her from the rest she desperately craved. "But he's been so tired lately that he does not even stir when I leave the bed." She lifted her gaze to meet that of her brother, mirth tweaked her lips into a mischievous grin. "Whatever have you been making my poor husband do when he reports for his duties?"

Laughter twinkled within the steel grey eyes though his face remained expressionless. "Your husband, dear sister, is quite the taxation upon my nerves as of late. Anxious and full of tension, like an over-tightened spring. I have twice, so far, been subjected to him leaping from his seat, upsetting inks and papers before fleeing the office with his blade in hand, only for him to return an hour or so later more disheveled than I have ever borne witness to." Byakuya paused and tucked his slender hands into his robes sleeves as his lips flickered into the briefest and barest of smiles. "He then looks to me, his gaze holding mine and says 'Don't even… Jus' don't!' before he gathers up his mess and resettles to conclude his papers for the day."

Rukia snorted at the noble's attempt at Renji's drawling dialect. His elegant voice and properly trained tongue tripped over the hardened drawl in a valiant effort to relate the mangled words accurately to her. Beneath the formality of his complaints, Byakuya's fondness for his lieutenant and brother-in-law softened his words.

-Their relationship had not always been a friendly one; Byakuya had once felt uncomfortable when his replacement lieutenant had been revealed to be a brute from the Eleventh, a former street child and thief from the outer borders of Rukon. He was used to lower nobility filling his ranks in the Sixth, and now he was to entertain the prospects of a commoner mixed in with his men, as his second in command no less.

Their introduction had been no smoother an experience for him when presented with Abarai. He had cast a critical eye over the youth, scrutinizing every line and angle as one would when inspecting a new hound, looking for faults and imperfections without mercy. The boy was so young, barely more than a century and a half, but he was strong. Tall and wide with battle ready muscles that quivered beneath a slightly tanned and scarred pelt. Byakuya had disproved of the vicious looking markings that adorned the boy's forehead and much of his torso from what could be deciphered from the way the shihakusho gaped at his throat as he lowered his head respectfully and introduced himself politely He also disliked how the boy would meet his eyes with a familiar edge to his own, as though they had encountered one another before. A gentle reprimanding flare of reiatsu and Abarai's eyes lowered once more, leading Byakuya to disregard the nagging feeling that he did indeed know of this youth.

Their relationship had remained somewhat terse until Rukia had come to him while he recovered from Ichimaru's attack. Renji had, just that morning sat upon the stool in the corner of the room, carving some sort of trinket from a wooden block in silence; happily ignoring the pain fogged steel grey eyes that watched him with caution, almost as though the Rukon stray belonged there at his captain's side. A faithful watchdog.

When he had left and Rukia timidly took up his former post, she had hastened to explain why Renji had come after her, why he had drawn his sword against his superior, hoping to sway her brother from possibly demoting him from his position as lieutenant. As the wounded noble listened to his younger sister's words, Byakuya's opinion of his rough and tumble lieutenant had begun to alter. He found it easier to understand the man's actions, his defiance, and his fury aimed at his captain, as well as finding it more difficult to defend his own. And once Unohana-taicho deemed the nobleman fit to return to his division, Byakuya made careful efforts to further understand the boy from the Rukon. He took the youth on as a student, without knowledge or consent on Renji's part of course. Byakuya trained with his lieutenant almost daily, strengthening Renji's flaws in his technique as well as his own. Learning how the younger man moved and adapting both their techniques to compliment and protect the other.-

Byakuya glanced to his sister as she yawned softly, pleased to notice that a great deal of tension had dissipated from her small frame, though it seemed clear that she was no nearer retiring for the remainder of the night. "It is pleasant tonight." He sighed softly, encouraging her to meet his soft gaze before he ventured a delicate suggestion. "Ideal perhaps, for a visit to Hisana's shrine. I know that you have not since the beginning of the war and I'm certain that your sister would love to hear some of your news." He readied himself for the pain to flash across night sky eyes at the idea.

Instead Rukia offered him a gentle smile and slipped her small hand beneath the crook of his elbow, delicate fingers curled into the silk of his kimono. "I think that would nice." She said softly as she allowed her brother to guide her away from the ponds, leaning against him as she stepped from the ornamental bridge. "There is so much for me to tell her from these last fourteen months."

Idly her hand that was not gripping Byakuya's arm, slid over her middle, paused and then smoothed out the fabric. The older Kuchiki nodded, not missing the unconscious gesture she made as they walked the path toward the manor. His lips twitched as he lifted his gaze toward the building that loomed ahead. "Indeed, there is."

* * *

The floral scented incense billowed from the thin metallic strand in her fingers. Rukia wrinkled her nose as her eyes watered slightly at the sudden intense aroma that filled the room. Waving her hand through the cloud of smoke to disburse the scent a little more evenly the younger Kuchiki sibling carefully thread the branch into the ornate holder, fashioned into that of a small tree, as Byakuya slid open both the shoji doors and revealed the tiny personal garden to the shrine.

"This was Hisana's garden." Byakuya explained softly and Rukia admired the simple beauty of the carefully tended white sand, the way the willow trees shielding branches kissed the ground and brushed papery fingers over the delicate flowers that slept. The sweet sound of the nightingale drew Rukia's eyes to a stunningly crafted cage where the tiny and pretty little bird sang so elegantly at the centre of the space. "She loved sitting beneath the willow in warmer weather, so I like to let her see it when I visit her."

Rukia peered over her shoulder as her brother returned to the shelf within the shrine, his eyes softening as he too lit an incense stick, inhaling deeply the smoke before he found a complimenting spot on the holder to rest it. He lowered himself to his knees and wordlessly offered Rukia his hand which she took, balancing herself as she joined the tall raven on the floor. She fussed with her clothing for only a moment, arranging the fabrics so they didn't crease but pooled elegantly around her instead.

"Are you comfortable?"

Rukia nodded wordlessly, bringing her palms together and bowing her head as she joined Byakuya in a silent prayer before the portrait of a gently smiling Hisana.

After a few minutes both Kuchiki's raised their heads and lowered their hands to their knees. Eyes meeting for a moment before Byakuya gave her a single encouraging nod. The smaller woman, almost identical to the figure in the portrait took a quiet breath to steady her nerves before speaking.

"I'm sorry sister," she began softly. "I know that I haven't visited you in a while, I hope you can forgive me for that." She paused then and glanced to Byakuya at her side. He held his elegant pose, dark lashes resting on his cheeks as he meditated and remembered, basking in the hidden personal memories of his wife that he held safely in his heart. Rukia lifted her eyes to the smiling portrait once more, her cheeks flushing a little in guilt at her negligence to visit more often. She inhaled to settle the churning in her stomach, unsure of the cause, was it the excitement of her news of the guilt for her absence?

"There is so much to tell you that I don't even know where I should begin." Her eyes lowered to her hands as they toyed with the edge of her sash nervously and she fell into a gentle silence, her shadow dancing along the walls as the naked flame of the candles flickered. She felt Byakuya's reiatsu brush hers in encouragement and she smiled softly. "Peace has returned to the Seireitei, we still have a lot of repairs and work to complete, but it shouldn't take very much longer before everything is how it should be." Her voice softened. "I'm glad for that. I'm glad that the dangers are over for now. It frightens me sometimes, to think how the enemy was once a comrade. How he was capable of deceiving us all. If not for Ichigo, we would have all perished."

A disapproving sound from Byakuya's throat caused Rukia to pause and glanced at him, meeting his steely gaze hesitantly. "Is this truly the subject that you wish to discuss?"

Rukia shook her head and lowered her eyes. "No, but I felt that she should know."

"Would you not perhaps prefer to tell her of more pleasing events and leave the more unpleasant recounts to me?"

A tight smile as her hands balled her sash's tail between them. "Yes, but I don't know how to tell her without feeling like a silly little child." One hand dropped its hold on the silk and scuffed across her eyes, catching a tear of frustrated fatigue that escaped the corner. "I can't do it. Not like this. I'm exhausted."

Byakuya rose slowly and stepped toward the shrine, breaking off the curling embers from the incense sticks and rubbing the fragrant powder between his thumb and forefinger without uttering a word. His fingers traced over the portraits edges tenderly, his eyes tracing the images features as his fingers had once the corporeal form, before he carefully slide the latticed panels closed and whispered his endearments to his lost wife.

Rukia struggled from her knees and wrapped her arms around herself awkwardly as tears of shame filled her eyes, blurring the image of Byakuya as he snuffed out the candle flames. "Brother, I…" she gasped a sobbing breath. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to cause you insult, I just… I-"

"You have no need to apologize, Rukia." His voice, though soft, was genuine. He turned just enough to meet her shuttered gaze. "It is perhaps a little too late of night to be visiting a relative's shrine. Come, I shall return you to your wing, you need to rest."

She nodded as she hiccuped out a small, broken sob, letting Byakuya steer her from the room and onto the veranda that would lead them back to the main body of the manor without complaint.

* * *

**End Author's Note:**

So… uh, yeah. I look forward to hearing if you guys want me to continue this. And props to anyone who can figure what I'm planning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

This is a little different from what I usually write. And this chapter will reveal why. Again, I am way, WAY out of my comfort zone here; any and all support is appreciated in this venture. I do not write much in the way of major AU, and at all in this sort of AU. This is set after the Winter War arc, but I am disregarding the Full Bring and Quincy War arcs.

I will try to keep this rated as T, however if it becomes questionable with its content I will up the rating to M. (Though it will be mostly for safety's sake rather than overly explicit content.)

Fractured Serenity chapter 4 is in the works, I'm just having a few difficulties playing around with the wordplay and layout. It'll appear as soon as I can fix it.

**Glossary:**

_Italics~ _conversation with ones Zanpakutou.

-….- around sections of certain text, meaning these are long memories that are part of the story line. Like a story within the story. Smaller, related memories will not be adorned with this treatment.

**Disclaimer(1): **I do not own, nor to I make any claims to, Bleach and/or its characters and storyline. I am simply a late-to-the-party fan who enjoys fanfiction, both reading it and writing it. The only profit I make from this is the knowledge that I may, perhaps, encourage others to venture more into the Bleach Universe by helping to keep the fandom alive alongside the thousands of other fans.

**Disclaimer(2): **This disclaimer is simply for those who read the following to know, I will not tolerate trolling or flames in either review of PM. I understand that there are many people who hate Ren/Ruki, but what I don't understand is if you don't like that why read it? I always name my pairings in both my summery as well as on the filter option. If you don't want to read this Ren/Ruki fic (and it **is** most definitely that pairing) then I suggest you click the back button. Thank you.

* * *

**Tranquillity.**

Renji mumbled in his sleep, his body shifting under the sheets the drowsy movements tangling his long limbs within the nest of fabrics that he had cocooned himself in. The flickering images that had danced through his tired mind had long since ended, now he simply drifted through the dark, empty shadows of a lighter sleep, bobbing just beneath the surface of awareness. Now that his restless tossing had nudged his senses toward rousing, his ears easily picked up the sound of a sleeping world, the crickets chirping softly somewhere within the Kuchiki gardens outside his door, the calm stillness of the Seireitei at rest. Without opening his eyes, in a desperate attempt to cling onto the sweet embrace of sleep for as long as he possibly could, the exhausted man raised an uncoordinated hand to his scalp and raked his fingers through his hair. Unhappy sounds were uttered as he found himself snagged upon knots and tangles nestled in the strands.

Huffing out his defeat, Renji hauled himself over onto his front, further tangling himself in his fabric confinement, and dug his elbows into the futon. Groggily raising his head from the folded pillow beneath it and forcing his lashes to part, he blinked slowly as the world blurred in and out of focus, his sleep fogged mind clumsily, reluctantly, clicking into place.

He flopped back down heavily and simply blinked at his surroundings, willing the sharp lines of furniture to focus his sight. The simple yet elegant ink paintings that adorned the walls were confusing, their subject little more than a messy blob. The elegant limbs of sakura trees that bloomed outside threw their shadows over the shoji doors, conjuring threatening figures and shapes that bobbed and wove, setting Renji's fight or flight instincts on high alert. Even after the fourteen months that he had dwelled as a part of the Kuchiki clan it was moments like this, with his wits dulled and his brain still half asleep, that he felt starkly out of place. His tatty belongings appeared frighteningly alien to him, removed from the quarters that he had been assigned in his division's barracks and arranged against the expensive art on the walls. It confused him. The peaceful sounds of crickets and koi splashing in the property's gardens that offered him company instead of the racket of multiple heavy snorers of comrades and heated drunken brawls, although welcome, simply made him more aware that, perhaps he did not belong here. With his insecurities mocking him, it took him several slow blinks before he could recall exactly where he was and why he was here.

And then he would smile. Her. He was here because of Rukia.

The arrangement that he move into the Kuchiki home shocked him at first. The clan elders made it no secret that those not of noble birth had no business within their home of generations past. And although it was common knowledge to him, how the elders viewed him as little more than a scruffy stray, any complaints of Rukia's insistence that her husband was to be welcomed to the estate had never made themselves heard. Byakuya as the lord of the manor made it very clear on behalf of his sister's wishes, of which the elder's grievances were petty and irrelevant and he ensured them well and truly quashed before they came to light. Securing the elder's silence had been achieved by his making it irrevocably apparent that, with his disinterest of re-marrying, Rukia would be the next to carry the name Kuchiki. And with her marriage to Renji blessed by the head of the Kuchiki clan, refusing to welcome her husband into the family would assuredly drive her away from the name that she now bore. Ensuring that, with Byakuya's eventual death, the Kuchiki clan's legacy would end.

Grabbing the edge of the twisted sheets, Renji peeled them back and untangled himself from the knot of cotton before settling back down and tucking the corner beneath his chin with a sigh of contentment. The night was warm, fairly pleasant, and a breeze tickled over his skin from the partially open shoji door as his eyelids drooped, the alluring tug of slumber returning. Just as his consciousness teetered upon the edge of awareness and the dark void of sleep, a realization jolted him in to full alertness.

He had closed the shoji door when he had retired for the night; someone had left the room since his falling asleep.

"Rukia?" He lifted himself to his knees and scanned the room, eyes falling and settling upon the empty side of the futon. "Rukia?" he called her name again, even as he hauled himself to his feet and grabbed the light kimono folded beside his pillow. Tugging the fabric over himself Renji noted that Rukia's kimono was gone, as were her house shoes. Still fumbling to knot the sash at his waist, Renji bolted from the room, forgoing his own footwear as he loped toward the main gardens. He knew Rukia was having trouble sleeping as of late, often he awoke shortly after her and accompanied her on her night-time jaunts to the koi ponds or sometimes, when she simply wished to walk, they would travel the broad boundaries of their home and end the trip with a visit to the kitchens. With an idea of where she might be, the red headed male headed toward the ponds nestled in the inner gardens, hoping that she hadn't been missing from his side for very long.

* * *

Rukia leaned more heavily against Byakuya's arm as he lead her toward her sleeping quarters, her pace slowing as she suddenly felt no need to hurry back to Renji's side and disturb his sleep with her return. Her ambition to ease her restlessness now shunted aside to make room for the guilt over her behavior in Hisana's shrine. It coiled heavily in her belly, like a fat, cold serpent and shame clenched painfully at her chest. How was it that she couldn't even speak of her joys, even with her brother's comforting presence at her side? Did she really harbor such feelings of resentment that she inadvertently refused to include Hisana as punishment for her abandonment?

The taller raven slanted his chin toward her as he felt her pace lag, her grasp at his elbow unbalancing his steps as she fell further behind him. Pausing, Byakuya angled himself to his sister as she slowed and stopped. "Are you feeling tired enough to sleep now?"

Rukia shook her head slowly. She felt far more awake now than she had even as she curled against Renji's side and willed herself to follow him into sleep.

"A warm drink, perhaps?"

Another slow shake followed by timid, half lidded eyes peering up at him. "The cooks have retired for the night, brother. It would not be fair to them to be summoned now."

Byakuya met her with a soft gaze of his own. "That was not what I asked of you. I asked if you would like a warm drink." He lay his other palm over the petite fingers curled around the fabric of his sleeve, a small and comforting gesture. "You seem rather unsettled since leaving Hisana's shrine and it would not be considerate of me if I were to simply return you to Renji in such a manner. Something warm would help settle you and I believe that now may be an appropriate time for us to trial the warm milk."

Rukia's eyes glanced to her brother's hand resting over her own. How many years had she spent simply hoping that he would grace her with a kind word or a warm look? How many times had she regretted her decision to leave behind everything she knew as a student of the academy, left behind her best friend who she thought she would never see again? And now, here she was, standing beside her cold adoptive brother as he openly showed that he cared for her happiness. She had the brother she had always hoped him to be. She had come so far from feeling like the pet that nobody had wanted to knowing that she was loved, cherished and welcomed. She had her family, a real family, a husband and a brother. The kind of family that she had pined for ever since she had been small, abandoned to the harsh streets of Inuzuri.

She smiled softly then. Leaning her cheek to Byakuya's bicep in a moment of unguarded emotion and murmured. "Some warm milk would be nice."

Nodding, Byakuya turned her carefully and began leading her along another corridor, this one taking them toward the main house. The petite woman was still smiling softly to herself as they reached the kitchens where Byakuya halted her before he held the door open and peered inside, almost as though he were a truant student sneaking away from his lessons. As soon as he deemed the coast clear, the noble waved his sister inside and quietly slid the door shut behind them.

"I am fairly certain that the cook baked some wonderful apricot buns this evening, and concealed them away so that your husband's insatiable sweet tooth would not lead him to pilfer them before our morning meal." He said in a hushed voice as he moved toward the cold larder positioned at the back of the kitchen. "Perhaps we might share one?"

"Would it not then be us pilfering the buns?"

His voice, still soft so not to disturb the resting staff, tucked snugly in their quarters for the night, drifted to her from the direction that he had vanished. "How would it be deemed as pilfering, when it is I who provides the resources for such things?" He reappeared from the cold room, a jug of fresh, creamy milk in one hand and his other balanced a small plate with two buns and a jar of honey set on top. Passing the platter to Rukia as he moved toward the small cooking pit, Byakuya carefully set a cast iron tripod over a small pile of tinder already arranged for the morning's tea. "However, if you still feel concerned come morning, we can always pass blame upon Renji and spare ourselves a title that is unbefitting of a Kuchiki."

Rukia felt a small chuckle rumble at her throat. "It is a tempting thought, brother. It is known that your cook has a soft spot for him so he might also escape the lecture." Renji's taste for sweet buns, taiyaki in particular, was infamous. She found it heart-warmingly amusing that Byakuya's cook, a plump and elderly woman, had taken a liking to the Inuzuri orphan and his roguish charm, often inviting Renji to the kitchens with her when he had time and she was baking. And despite his being a fully matured man, she took great delight in indulging him with treats regularly. Spoiling him like a child and sneaking warm buns to him as they cooled.

They fell into an easy silence. Comfortable and companionable, with Rukia bent over Byakuya's shoulder as he carefully set the pan, now half filled with the milk over the small fire. Rukia's eyes fell to the flames, her lashes slipping half over her eyes, watching as a slightly damp mossy twig popped and crackled as it succumbed to the heat. She was scarcely aware of anything until she felt, rather than heard, Byakuya's voice stirring beside her ear. Her head jerked back, eyes snapping to his as she blinked away the lethargy that had suddenly ensnared her. "Hmmm?"

"It is a pleasant night." Byakuya repeated as he carefully stirred the milk warming in the pan. "I rather fancy taking our drinks upon the veranda before retiring." Slate grey eyes slid to hers. "If you would take your plate outside, I shall join you shortly."

Rukia settled back on her palms in silence, stretching out her slender legs and enjoying the gentle pull as her muscles uncoiled. A gentle cooling breeze wafted into her face as she shuttered her eyes against it, luxuriating in the silence. Exhaustion had finally begun seeping into her mind at last and she was fairly certain that the milk and snack would help tip her over the edge, sated and drained and ready to sleep. She only hoped that when she slipped back to her quarters that she wouldn't rouse Renji when she returned to his side. He was almost as tired as she these past few months, although for somewhat different reasons.

She scanned the skies through partially opened eyes, the stars blurring under watery fatigue, until the effort to hold them open even a little became too much of a chore.

Perhaps that was why he managed to creep up on her. Perhaps, because she expected him to still be curled up and asleep, Rukia didn't feel the urge to search for his particular signature. Rukia frowned, only sensing that someone had drawn close enough to her when she felt his reiatsu nudge against her own. Parting her thick lashes and twisting herself at the waist, she moved just enough to see him propping himself against the outer wall of the kitchen, his arms folded over his chest and his brow tugged low over tired and strained eyes.

"Ya shoulda woke me." A flicker of worry tainted his exhaustion. "I was worried 'bout ya."

Rukia's eyes instinctively lowered from his as he pushed himself away from the building. His kimono was barely clinging to his form, the sides were lopsided and mismatched, the knot of his sash too loose and too low over his hips, one of his tattooed shoulders was almost completely bare save for the knotted red tangle that tumbled over it. "I thought you were sleeping." She murmured softly, eyes lifting to his once more, encouraged by his fingers that slid under her chin and tilted her face up to his as he carefully knelt beside her.

"I was." His voice rumbled as lowly as hers as he moved to tuck a piece of tousled raven hair behind her ear. "Jus' don't feel right sleepin' when yer not there. Why didn't ya wake me?"

A shrug before the petite woman slid closer to him, her knee pressing against his and her cheek resting against his bicep. "I just wanted to walk a while. I didn't think that I'd be gone so long." She closed her fingers over his and drew his arm around her as she nestled against his side. "Nii-sama has been keeping me company."

She felt Renji shift under her cheek, first one way and then the other, jostling her from her comfortable slouch on him. She muttered under her breath and made her complaints known by poking him in the ribs but that only made him chuckle. "So I see. Ya got 'im making yer tea now."

Rukia rolled her face up, peering through a flurry of crimson and black only to have a mug materialize beneath her nose.

"Actually, it's warm milk." Byakuya interjected, his façade drawn perfectly in place as Rukia lifted the mug from one hand and he turned to offer a second mug to his lieutenant, already prepared for his arrival as though he'd expected nothing less. "I believe we could all benefit from a peaceful night's rest."

Rukia inhaled deeply the scent of camomile that had been mixed into the warm liquid, stirring it once with the chopstick that Byakuya had added to each mug, before she leaned over and slid the platter closer. Handing her mug off to Renji, she lifted the jar of honey and carefully added a little. Camomile, while soothing, had a horribly bitter taste. Taking back her drink, she passed the honey to Renji, who followed her example and added the sweetener to his own.

They spent a few minutes adding and mixing honey to milk, reaching for buns and Rukia settling back against Renji's side, tucked beneath his free arm once more before silence enveloped the little group. They felt no urgent need to talk, just that to simply enjoy each others company, a bond to each other that had slowly grown over many years and through trying events, and savor the sweetness of their drinks. Rukia broke off a chunk from the apricot bun that she was nibbling on, lifted it over her head and pushed it into Renji's mouth while Byakuya delicately chewed on his own, ignoring the startled squawk from the taller man.

It was only when Rukia stifled a yawn behind her hand and nestled deeper into her husband's side, her lashes fluttering as she battled to stay awake, that the silent decision was made to call it a night. Byakuya collected the mugs and returned them to the kitchen along with the plate, while Renji picked himself onto his feet and eased Rukia to hers, though she pushed away his hand that was trying to gather her into his arms.

Renji sighed in reluctant agreement to her indignant shove, instead he moved closer, bumping her with his hip as they waited for Byakuya's return. "Feelin' better?"

She nodded, yawning again as she leaned against him, taking comfort in the way his too tall frame enveloped and surrounded her. Her fingers found the sloppy knot at his waist, untied it, her cheeks flushing slightly as she caught sight of his lack of clothing when she shifted the sides of his kimono to meet properly. "You didn't dress."

Renji shrugged, his lips quirking into a grin as he felt her small hands tie his sash in a tighter, neater knot. "Didn't really have th' time, who knew what kinda trouble ya coulda been getting' inta?" His large hands slipped over hers as they rested against his hip, his head lowering and hers tipping back.

Their lips had barely brushed when Byakuya cleared his throat from the kitchen door, causing Renji to groan against Rukia's lips at the interruption before looking up to his captain and brother-in-law. "Yer timin' sucks, y'know that right?"

A flash of amusement darted across grey eyes. "I much prefer the notion that my timing is flawless, it is yours that causes you dismay."

Renji's brow creased into a confused frown. Glancing down to Rukia as she smiled at the banter flittering back and forth between the two men, Renji exaggerated a stage whisper. "I think yer brother's makin' fun o' me."

"Your accusation wounds me, Abarai." Byakuya said as he brushed past the couple. "However, it is exceedingly late and I still have a division to maintain, and you have drills with the higher seats tomorrow."

Renji groaned at that.

Rukia lifted herself onto tip-toes and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth, fingers pushing into the tickle of his fly away crimson hair as she did so. "I think it to be a good idea to return to our quarters now," she murmured softly as her mouth lingered at his. "I'd like to make amends for having disrupted you. " Her fingers, still trapped beneath his at his hip, pressed a little harder to him, stroking tiny circles through the fabric and shifting lower. Renji's eyes shuttered and he found himself pressing urgently into her touch.

"I'd appreciate if you refrain from your arduous activities until you are in private."

Rukia chuckled and broke the contact. Her fingers slipping from his hip and into his hand as he stifled a snarl of frustration and moved to follow the voice of his captain.

"_Seriously _sucky timin'!"

* * *

It didn't take long for Renji and Rukia to catch up to Byakuya as the noble leisurely strolled toward the couple's wing of the estate. His own quarters were positioned on the other side of the home; however it was not uncommon for him to accompany them to their quarters as of late, usually to discuss recent developments in Rukia's restlessness and how best approach rectifying it.

However, tonight he wished to only discuss these details with one.

"Renji," Byakuya caught his brother-in-law's eye as he slid open the door. "A word."

Renji paused, his shoulders tensing minutely at the implications behind the simple request, but he forced his lips to curl in a barely there grin and masked the apprehension in his voice with practiced ease. "Sure."

Rukia, despite her growing drowsiness, raised her eyes to her husband and fixed him with a questioning look. All of the wariness and questions that churned in her mind, shone bright behind the darkening hue of exhaustion as she felt his stance stiffen under her touch. "Renji?"

He inwardly flinched at her tone, the open worry that was so out of place as it coiled around the unmistakable trust in him that she felt. But the strained smiles he had given Byakuya morphed effortlessly into one of his genuine easy grins. "Go on, I'll be right there inna couple o' minutes." His broad palm settled against her lower back, the warmth of his touch a comfort to her.

The small woman paused, her hand resting on the room door as she slid her questioning gaze from Renji's smile to Byakuya's guarded expression. After a few minutes of consideration she sighed and vanished inside the room, sliding the door shut with a soft click.

A thick thumb immediately pressing to his eye, Renji rubbed at the exhaustion that had been steadily creeping through his body since he had woken and begun his search for his missing wife. Scrubbing the same hand down over his lips and chin before moving up over the back of his neck, he slowly turned to face his captain. "Sumthin's up ain't it?" He grumbled softly before the other man could even open his mouth.

A slow nod. "The Kuchiki elders are asking questions. Rukia's restlessness is beginning to rouse their suspicions and I cannot keep this a secret from them for very much longer. You were aware that we would eventually come to this predicament." He sighed quietly. "Also, for her own safety, I believe that the time has arisen to make this known at the next meeting of Captains and Senior Officers. She needs to be withdrawn from the active lines of duty, especially now that the sleepless nights are increasing."

Renji folded his arms loosely over his chest and leaned back against the corridor wall, his eyes darting to the door that barred their discussion from Rukia's knowledge as he nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I kinda figured they'd be catchin' on now. Suspicious ol' men with nuthin' better t' occupy their days now tha' they can't whine 'bout our marriage." He was careful to keep his usually loud voice low. "Yer Captain's meet is scheduled th' mornin' after next, ain't it? An' mine's later that afternoon?"

"Correct."

Renji pushed himself off the wall and stretched, his kimono riding high over his ribs. "Guess there's no helpin' it then. Though, give it a couple o' days after my announcement, b'fore ya talk wit' th' elders, yeah? Let everyone get their heads 'round it. Don't need the whole Seireitei inna uproar."

Byakuya quirked an eyebrow, somewhat amused by his Lieutenant's statement. "You do realize the rarity of this situation?" He questioned. "It is unusual for Shinigami not of noble blood to find themselves in the position that you are in. Spiritual energy is a fickle creature. It is taxed maintaining your own life force as well as that of your Zanpakutou without any extra demands on its resources. You will both fall under the watch of every Shinigami within these walls as soon as the announcement is made."

Renji shrugged. "Yeah, I know. Jus' tryin' t' lighten th' mood a bit. Ain't this s'posed t' be a good thing? Y'know, shouldn' we be feelin' excited instead of like we should be ashamed o' what we done?" He hesitantly met the grey eyes of his superior, uncertain of what he expected to read in their depths.

Byakuya's eyes held nothing for Renji to read; but when he saw the younger man's spine stiffen at the lack of encouragement he allowed the emotion to dart across his face in a small smile, and a comforting hand reach out to grasp his lieutenant's shoulder in a firm squeeze. "You should feel pride Renji, not shame." He murmured, drawing his hand back quickly. "And you will, as the day draws ever nearer." He murmured his encouragement awkwardly, before turning on his heel and stepping away without another word, retreating back to his own quarters for the night.

Renji watched the man vanish around a corner before moving the door to his own room open, shaking his head as he stepped inside. He glanced to the futon, finding it still empty as Rukia had planted herself just to the side of the door that Renji had entered through, her arms folded and a small frown etching her face.

"I wish you and Nii-sama wouldn't do that." She complained.

Renji moved past her, slipping his fingers around hers as he moved, leading her to the futon. "You should be sleepin'." He said simply, ignoring her complaint.

The frown hardened to a glare. "I'm serious-"

"So am I."

Rukia dug her heels in and yanked her hand from his sharply; startling Renji enough to stop him in his tracks and turn to face her with a questioning look. "Rukia?"

"Why?" She demanded, her voice cracking under a swell of emotion, though it was more frustration than it was sorrow this time. "Why do you keep shutting me out? You and Byakuya, you keep having these little secret meetings that I can't know about. You make decisions for me; decide what's best for me, you're treating me like I'm sickly or wounded and I want it to stop!"

Renji just stood there, staring at the woman trembling before him. The woman that he loved and had loved, since he was small, since before he even understood what love was. Suddenly he felt so tired. The constant strain of these past months came crashing down on him, making him want to scream out in his frustration. Yes she was the focus point of the whispers and the rumors that eddied around them, but he was her shield. He could feel the cracks in his defense widening with every day that passed. He just hoped that after these upcoming meetings, some of the strain he felt would ebb. His body slumped forwards as he dragged his feet over to her, wishing for once that he could look her in the eye without kneeling down, even as he did so. He caught up a tiny hand in his own, watching in fascination as his thick fingers interlocked with her dainty ones so effortlessly. Feeling how delicate and fragile the bones were beneath his touches. He breathed out heavily as he touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

"Renji." Her voice sounded so distant, so tiny, as she called his name. The anger had left it, making her sound vulnerable as well as tired. "I don't want to fight with you about this. I want you to talk to me."

"I will." He sighed softly, bumping the tip of his nose to hers. "But first, I need ya t' trust me. Ya can do that, righ'?"

He felt her stiffen against him. He raised his free palm to cup her cheek softly, his thumb sweeping against her skin in soft, comforting motions even as he touched his lips to hers. Her body went lax then, and she buried her free hand into the thick tresses that tumbled around his face in swirls and knots.

"Of course I can, I do." She whispered, her eyes meeting with his and reading the troubles that darkened the red-brown depths.

"Then let me do this." He almost pleaded her. "Let me do what I gotta t' protect ya," his hand cupping her cheek slid along her jaw, down her throat and shoulder. Feeling her tremble under his touch as fingers lightly grazed the length of her arm until they stopped. "Let me protect both of ya."

His fingers had stilled, spanning her belly where a firm roundness, warm and full of life was nestled safely within her, barely hidden beneath loose fitting robes of silk.

* * *

**End Author's Note:**

And there you have it folks, the reason why I'm struggling with this particular story. Though some of that floundering should ease now that the 'big reveal' is out of the way and I can focus on the actual story, instead of dropping the subtlest of hints. Perhaps you are curious as to why I have chosen to write a pregnancy fic when.

I am writing this simply because I have yet to see one, involving this couple, which handles the whole term. I have found and read a single one-shot with Renji and Rukia as parents, I enjoyed it but the aspect of parenthood was only a sub-plot. I have found one or two that touch on the idea of depicting the pregnancy but they have been left abandoned after the implications of Rukia's pregnancy.

So there you go, a simple reason that has led to me writing this. I'm Sorry to ramble if you aren't interested in my musings at the end of this chapter; I just wanted people to understand what goes on in my head while typing this thing.

Read and Review.

~Voicey


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